Bhubaneswar: The capital city donned a colourful look on Friday as it celebrated its 70th Foundation Day.

The celebrations were organised by the Rajdhani Foundation Day Celebration Committee. This year, the city celebrated its foundation day with much pomp and gaiety as it entered into the league of Global Smart City Index.

For the last 30 years, the committee has been celebrating the day. Starting from a small event in 1988, it has become a three-day celebration with cultural programmes and felicitations. But, the committee demanded that the government should make it a state event from next year.

President of the committee Pradosh Patnaik said: "It will give an identity to the event. There are many people who have already flocked to the city and settled here but don't know the city's history and legacy. The capital day celebration will give them an opportunity to know the city better. They will also come to know about the glorious past of the city."

Speaker of the Assembly Pradip Kumar Amat congratulated the residents of Bhubaneswar and said everyone should come forward to make the city the best city of the country.

Students from schools and colleges of the city took part in the civilian parade. The Rajdhani Gourav Samman was awarded to 13 eminent persons (see chart).

In his address, mayor Ananta Narayan Jena elaborated about the steps that the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation was taking to strengthen public transport system, wi-fi facility and housing for urban poor.

Several cultural organisations across the city also celebrated the occasion. The first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, had laid the foundation stone of the city on April 13 in 1948. German town-planning engineer Otto Kolenigs Berger prepared the master plan of the city.

On the 70th Foundation Day of Bhubaneswar, successful people from various walks of life were awarded with the Rajdhani Gourav Samman for their rich contribution to their respective fields. The Telegraph presents a brief profile of the award winners

Siddhanta Kumar Kar, physician who wants to provide low-cost treatment to more people
Prasanta Kishore Ray, advocate who as a mentor to young law professionals
Sanjib Chandra Hota, administrator who has held several responsible positions
Susanta Panda, industrialist who has given his company a special identity at international level
Sulachana Das, nurse, for her contribution to health service
Amanat Ali, traffic constable, for managing city traffic with masterly ease
Banshidhar Sahoo, postman who has been delivering messages at doorstep for more than 10 years
Madan Naik, sweeper for his role in keeping Bhubaneswar clean
Jayanti Behera, athlete who recently won two gold medals at the 18th National Para-Athletic Championship in Haryana
Shushrusha, organisation that imparts nursing training to volunteers
Prem Anand, music director who has composed more than 1,000 songs for movies, albums and jatra
Samaresh Routray, actor for his versatile acting skills
Jhilik Bhattacharya, actress, for her contribution to films.